MOKAU LANDS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1587, 2 November 1912, Page 7

MOKAU LANDS.

-;■,-'•':'>'■. '.", '»'.' ?MJOSHUA JONES'S CLAIMS, ;' :;':;. 'jCOMMITTEE'S REPORT. : ;iITMENT,OF .£3OOO.RECOMMENDED. ':■■■■ import, of'the"'Select Committee'of ;:both Housos : 'on the' petition -of.; ! vJbM's' fori'i-estoration-of.-.certain : rights 'over lands,in : .tho'.;Mokau 'district,, or for ■ compensation both Houses of.Paxliamfintyesterday... The : complexity' of' : *the"casia' : to'be"cohsfdere'd, .and the number of<focts to;be,deteTmined,': •i are'. shovm •by •' tho length of • the ; tee's report. Tlie. faota as found 'committeo aro set out in upwards of 50 iclau'ses, with/sub-cltiuses ~to.: m any :of them;: and.in Ithe end.tho committee Te- : commend that Mr. Jones lie paid a sumof. ' JESOOO.-' The'eominitteo'found thdt in 1877, in consideration of services rendered to the colony, in assisting to bring about negotiations with the Maoris,, ftnd by way of reward,-he -was supported-by the Government in negotia ting .for .the: lease '..of-, a. block of some 50,000 acres pf land: on, the! ' south': bank of. ,the. Mokau- Riyer; ~ Subse■oueiitlyrMr.'Jones, lost he his'petition, that-some -part' of ■ the fault ..was to,.,be'' imputed ;to: t£o ; New. .'Zealand,Government,' hence his, Following;'.;are '-thev.-mdsfcy important of the findings/land the textof the committee's recommendatiofis;—-/i.'V v ■':.■'.■' Your'committee: is' of .opinion:; l , -''■■ : -(1) .That on- the.-/passing • ofcthe Mokau.i •=-Mohakatino';Act, .1888.'. a settlement was , of 'all -.claims (if any), whioh. the j petitioner may have had against thef.Governinenfcof. New Zealand -in- Tcspe'ct.of anything done or-omitted to be donesby the said Government-.up to that date. W (2); That? tho; only iloss of -right: which,, the pet'itioner'-has ■ suffered.'ty:reason .0f... -any,amendment>-of fKe ■■■ ;Statute...Law^ of, New Zealand is the:loss;of -a.proremptive: :.acres ;in: the M&kau-Mohakatinoi-Blockii which-; said righfwas lost'tditheipetitio'ner.cby- reason, of the'repeal-of fThofSpecial.Ppwers.a'nd. /Cohtracts-: Actj"'.iß'Bsr'-'and?- -.Thtfi Mokau ■ .Mohakatino'Act, 1888,'-'Nby-s The" Statutes. \ Repeal'Ant, ; -1907. fv::':: ,; : V. :':/•:;■;;;,;- v(3)':That: anything or. omitted -to be done by the' General' Government of New Zealand, ■ whioh'■may had the eftect-'.'o'f .enabling the. executors of Wdck-. ham Flower.to dispose of the leases previousiyheld by-'the pbtitibner;' can only have prejudiced/tho petitioner,'if it is: assufied' ; that'the\petitioner 'could; liltimately;.;hav'e; succeeded' ,in .an actioh against/the'-said exeout'orslor.the. recov-. ery or the'said leases. : .-•■■.-'■.'■•■.:■;■" ~:';■'.' ; (i) l'That since, youif. 'committee .is of• opinion .that the petitioner had/ prior to anything being -so' done,':or omitted, ;lost all, le^al: claim to the; said leases,; your committee does,not consider that-the petitioner' has .been prejudiced by. anything ...» 'done;or omitted/"; 1 ':.:.?; ; :; , '; : ':;';. 'Tour committee-recommends that a sum of £3000 "(and 'that': -the _~Government . take .'"into : ' -itsi'i -Vconsideration,; -thb,.'.. ad-' v visability. ''■ of-', , lodging .' any'.'.!'■:such Bum', 'with- . the: , Publib ', 'Trustee' in "tiTist -for i.the'i-use.'and-.benefitj of• ~,tho petitioner, be; paid lo the,'petitioner/, in' 'co'mpensition for the loss oi rights!anentjpnM i in y ,su'b.--p.aragraph (1) oi'.the, preceding'pal-agSipllf aid■! as-'an ■ ex gratia : : : fact that by reason'! ofltbe'/miittef a herein: .before-set outi.thel'p;etitioiie'r : 'hos-'not r '' , in' fact was origihally 'teive.-in return;.fer''the''''t^; i c6nsiderible wrvices iCTdered;'-:-by|', ; him : -'in; . about peeoo ,with! the',Maoris 1 in, .the King ;i';'V. : '.''".' "";■";";' '■■■/■£. • Your committee recommend that ■■it'- the Baid, payment is made'..fo"lh'o" 'petitioner' such payment should.be mad© subject to the 'express'.provision! that it is in full satisfaction of all and over? claim' (if any) which 'the petitioner; may have 'against the General Government'ot'New Zealand, .. Your: committee,; docs' ;,not,;,iec6mmehd. that the - committee,' 'namely, - that Tarliament 'should/give-. him & .rigi-i : of , : .action"by special ■ statuto,'.be/Vgianted,;'for 'the reasonthat the petitioner 'hps-not, yet ©ihausfed•his le2Jl:rejicdies. : '.'..:,;'-«..ifvj .^■-.•;.':-'.'. tives- on theiimotion/.that- .the, report'■ .be' tabledf? and'.'referred' :Jto' theV.Gbvernment for consideration, jwas. motion of the, Prime Minister,-but before tho adjournment -Mr. -:R.-M.'Callum (W'ai-. 'mu),,;a:-member.'of.l the '.'committee,/said that ho dissented from the finding, holding; that no sum ;bf money ought-to be'given to petitioner.';. .>.;;'.'/. ; =, : ■: : ';.; ■;'■'/.'..;':. ; '■.".•■;•'